This guide is a starting point for members of the Fitchburg State University community seeking information and resources to learn about anti-racism, white privilege, and inclusion.
A form of oppression in which one group dominates others. In the United States, the dominant group is white, therefore racism is white racial and cultural prejudice and discrimination, supported intentionally or unintentionally by institutional power and authority, and used to the advantage of whites and disadvantage of people of color (DiAngelo, 2016).
Racism is the power to enforce one's prejudices. Simply stated racism is prejudice plus power (Barndt, 1991).
Racism involves one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination through the institutional policies and practices of the society and by shaping the cultural beliefs and values that support those racist policies and practices (dRworksbook, 2020).
Racism is often understood as an individual state of being, as in someone is or isn’t racist. Racism, however, is not merely a personal attitude, it is a radicalized system of power maintained by violence. In North America, an individual can be perpetuating this system without even being conscious of their actions (Simmons University Library, 2020)
What about "reverse racism"?
As stated above, racism is prejudice plus power, a particular power, the power that maintains the at the institutional level, the privileges of the dominate social group. In our society, only white people are the dominate social group, and as such wield institutional power. As such, white people do not experience racism (Hoyt, 2012)
Anti-Racism
"To be antiracist is a radical choice in the face of history, requiring radical reorientation of our consciousness" - Ibram Kendi from How To Be An Antiracist
Anti-racism can be defined as some form of focused and sustained action, which includes inter-cultural, inter-faith, multi-lingual and inter-abled (i.e. differently abled) communities with the intent to change a system or an institutional policy, practice, or procedure which has racist effects (Coleman, 2016)
